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L.A. Mayor's Race Results Come In; Becerra May Be Headed for Run-off for California Governor. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 03, 2026 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SARAH MCGREGOR, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Tap into anger about a lot of issues that Angelinos have about affordability, quality of life issues. But now, can he convince voters that he's the right person to act?

[06:00:10]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: OK. That's Sarah McGregor from Bloomberg News. Thank you so much for this update. We've got to leave it there.

We have been following these races, specifically out of California, the governor's race and the L.A. mayor's race.

I'm Audie Cornish, and our coverage of the morning after primary night continues right now.

So, election night in America continued as results are still coming in at this hour. Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and all eyes remain on California as the governor's race is still too close to call.

The latest projections show Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra at the head of the pack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE HILTON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: It looks very much as if Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take -- and take our state -- and take our state in a new direction.

XAVIER BECERRA (D), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We will not be bought. We will not be bullied, and we are never backing down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Still, don't count out billionaire Tom Steyer just yet. He still remains in a close third.

And we are also still watching this L.A. mayor's race. CNN projecting overnight incumbent Karen Bass will advance to November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES: We're going to build a city where parents and kids do not have to navigate tents, because in the nation's second largest city, there should never be anybody that is sleeping on our streets.

We are a city that can deal with this, and we have been doing it, and we are going to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The question has been whether she's going to face a city councilwoman or a former reality TV star.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NITHYA RAMAN (D), L.A. MAYORAL CANDIDATE: This city should be affordable enough to still be a place of real opportunity: where families are not pushed out, where artists can afford to stay and make their art. A place where working people can build a future. That is the vision that we have for Los Angeles.

SPENCER PRATT (R), L.A. MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I'm an Angeleno who said enough, and I had to step up. I didn't know I'd be here tonight, but this is obviously God's plan, and I'm going to go all the way. And I'm going to show everybody that I'm their mayor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I want to bring in CNN anchor John Berman to break all of this down. We're going to come back to the -- the mayor's race.

Oh, wait. We actually have news on the mayor's race. Sorry about that, John. What have you learned about the -- the second two in this race right now?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start on the mayor's race right now.

You can see Karen Bass, the sitting mayor, is out in front right now, about 35 percent of the vote.

Spencer Pratt's in second, just over 30 percent. And Nithya Raman, the city councilwoman, down to 22 percent.

Now, you don't run with party affiliation in Los Angeles. It's an open primary in that sense. But Karen Bass is a Democrat. Spencer Pratt is a Republican, and Nithya Raman is a Democrat here, as well.

A couple of things I want to point out. No. 1, Karen Bass, who we do project will advance to the runoff. The top two candidates will advance to a runoff.

She is going to -- People are actually touching my wall backstage. All right, CNN way to go with -- with touching the magic wall here.

But you can take my word for it, Audie, that the first two candidates will advance. Karen Bass, who's at about 35 percent, will advance.

But you can add up the two numbers below her, and you can see more than 50 percent of people in Los Angeles right now, more than 50 percent are voting against Karen Bass. That is notable.

The other number I want to point to on the bottom of the screen is the 63 percent. Sixty-three percent of the vote is in it at this point. Estimated, right? We're not 100 percent sure. That's a lot of vote. That is a lot of vote still remaining. OK, we are waiting for those votes to come in.

In California, if you mail your ballot by election day, postmarked by election day, there are 13 days to count it. So, there are many days still for more votes to come in.

And we do know that, historically, more Democrats vote late; more Democrats vote by mail. So, those numbers for Nithya Raman, if -- you switched to governor here.

For Nithya Raman, those numbers should grow. And there's a possibility she could overtake Spencer Pratt at some point. But it seems like there's a lot of ground to cover.

You know what, Audie? We're going to get our wall fixed, I think, hopefully. Let me throw it back to you, because I don't have anything to show you just now. We'll get this fixed. Come back to me in a second.

CORNISH: OK, John. Thanks so much.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, we will have more from the wall, we promise, because the votes are still being counted in California. It looks like it may be the incumbent versus the reality star in the L.A. mayor's race. We're going to follow those numbers.

[06:05:11]

And we've got the group chat to discuss. next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CORNISH: The morning after election day. We know one of the candidates for mayor of Los Angeles this fall. CNN projects current Mayor Karen Bass will make it to the general election in November.

[06:10:03]

And right now, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt seems to be in position to be her opponent.

And even though Bass will make it to the next round, roughly 3 in 5 voters basically voted for somebody else on Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karen Bass. I think she's been an amazing mayor in a lot of ways. I think there's been a lot of misrepresentation towards her. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just hope it ain't Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to see a change. That's all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But not a Spencer Pratt kind of change?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not -- not the -- not the reality TV star, never held a job kind of change. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, anyone that'll keep Spencer Pratt's fascist ass out of office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about Pratt's unconventional approach?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it. I love it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is it that you love about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's another Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Sabrina Rodriguez, politics reporter at "The Wall Street Journal"; Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project; and Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist.

Because right now, we are still looking at sort of Bass, Pratt. But then also Nithya Raman.

Can I start with you, Antjuan? What did voters have -- Democratic voters have in Los Angeles when they looked at these choices? How different is Raman from Bass?

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think they looked for two things: consistency and stabilization. And I think that's what --

CORNISH: And is Raman, like, the up-and-coming progressive type?

SEAWRIGHT: I think -- I think what she -- the campaign she tried to run is to the left of Mayor Bass; but, two, I also think she tried to run as an outsider and a voice of change.

Because once you're an incumbent, and you're in the most powerful position within the positions, you have to run as an outsider in order to challenge, quote unquote, "the status quo."

And I think that's what she also -- what she tried to represent.

The other aspect, I think she tried to make it a generational race. And we're starting to see that across the Democratic ecosystem in these primaries. The season versus not season.

CORNISH: Yes.

SEAWRIGHT: Old Testament versus New Testament type.

CORNISH: As you said. And it's -- and it's having mixed results, mixed success. Because when it comes to a mayor's race, that is about the trash, the zoning, the -- what it's like to walk down the street every day.

And Terry, you -- you're one of these people who has been watching these kind of A.I. Spencer Pratt videos.

TERRY SCHILLING, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: Yes.

CORNISH: And so, you -- you think he really spoke to that in particular?

SCHILLING: Yes. So, look, there's -- last, you know, decade or so, there's been the rise of the online candidate who doesn't really translate to electoral victories or have any real following.

But what we've seen is that Spencer Pratt, apparently, is actually appealing to real voters and their concerns.

CORNISH: Or Mamdani, the Internet's mayor --

SCHILLING: Exactly.

CORNISH: -- from last year. Yes.

SCHILLING: I will give you that. But yes, no, to get 30 percent of the vote in L.A., I think, is a very big deal for any Republican.

CORNISH: Here's one voter that spoke to CNN, who said he was previously homeless. And here's what he said about Spencer Pratt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do like his approach for the homelessness. As a person who used to be homeless myself, I was rendered the services that he's talking about. I was able to change my life. Ten years sober, with no alcohol and stuff like that. So, his approach is really good.

I do think it's fair for him to go off with the runoff with Karen Bass. This way, both of them can go ahead and prove to me why they deserve my vote.

So, as of today, I'm doing it. Yes. Because I do like his approach. And I do think he deserves a fair chance. But come November, it could be different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now there's affordability, generally, and then there's housing in California, which is a completely different beast, completely different level of frustration and culture war level fighting over how to solve it.

How do you think that played into this race?

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, POLITICS REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": I mean, it was a huge part of this race. I mean, I think that Spencer Pratt' rise, of course, we were talking about this off-camera, as well.

CORNISH: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, I grew up watching him on "The Hills." And I remember after the Palisade Fires, like, his videos coming up on my TikTok of him talking about, you know, losing everything and, and the -- you know, the story around what was happening to his family, what happened to many families in California.

And then sort of how he pivoted that to, to run for mayor wasn't totally surprising to me. Because you could sort of see the beginnings of it there.

So, he's talking about very real issues for people in Los Angeles. I think the question now will be, if he does become officially, you know, going into a runoff with Mayor Bass, is of course, him actually articulating what his plans are.

He obviously doesn't come from any kind of government experience. In 2026, that doesn't mean that you can't be -- you can't run for office or you can't win.

CORNISH: No, no. We were just talking in Iowa about a farmer who advanced, right? Like, it isn't guaranteed.

RODRIGUEZ: There's a lot of questions around what that even looks like.

SEAWRIGHT: I also think there's a new model in the Republican Party. Reality TV or trash TV. And you don't have to have experience. And you audition for the job.

And some -- what -- some of what the primary process is about is name I.D. and whether people can relate to you from some other experience. I think that's part of the reason Donald Trump's rise in politics happened.

And I think there are others in the Republican ecosystem who feel like Trump maybe opened up a pathway for them to try that same model.

[06:15:06]

Because in reality, most people cannot articulate what his policy positions are and how he will seriously make a difference. If you've never been -- had your tires kicked or your hood checked in politics.

CORMISH: Well, he's about to if he makes it through this process. Because once you go to November, that's when people start kicking tires.

I have one other thing, which is the governor's race. Steve Hilton, the Republican, making some advances there. And then Xavier Becerra, right, in the end, a kind of dark horse in a race that a few months ago people were talking about a Katie Porter. People were talking about Eric Swalwell, both of whom basically fell down in the public's eyes.

Did Becerra advance or did he take advantage of some people's failures?

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, he certainly took advantage of some people's failures.

I mean, I think. look, the bottom line when we -- when it's all said and done about this race, this California governor's race, it has been a mess.

I mean, we were talking over a year ago about whether Vice President Kamala Harris would decide to run for governor. We talked about whether Senator Alex Padilla would decide to run for governor. Neither one did it.

We saw, you know, Governor Newsom did not endorse. Nancy Pelosi did not endorse in this race.

CORNISH: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, we saw a sort of a free-for-all.

CORNISH: Which has allowed these Republicans to advance in a way. And obviously, California can have a Republican governor. It's happened plenty of times.

What is it about Hilton that you think is striking a chord? Because we were talking during the break of like, who does he represent in the sliver of the Republican coalition?

SCHILLING: Well, as Antjuan was saying earlier, I would have a more charitable view of it. These -- these outsiders, these independent people, these people that aren't in politics. That's what Republicans are looking for, is they're looking for someone that can speak to their concerns for their families. You know, it's really tough to get by for working families these days.

And they know that the current regime of Democrats that are in California in public office aren't doing that.

CORNISH: Yes. The California term is disruptor.

SCHILLING: Yes, exactly.

CORNISH: From Silicon Valley, right?

SCHILLING: Exactly.

CORNISH: Like someone who's going to come in and break a system they think is not really working. But there's such a coalition of Republican voters right now. When you look at him, is he like a Bannon MAGA? Is he a TPUSA? Is he a free speech warrior? Like, what am I looking at here?

SCHILLING: I think he's doing a good combination of building a winning coalition, tapping into all of these different many groups and the podcast.

But does he hold Trump's policies close?

SCHILLING: No, I think he -- I mean, I think he respects President Trump and how he's disrupting D.C. But I think he's going to have his own flavor. And you have to in California.

What I'm paying attention to, though, Audie, and my team is, is we're analyzing the married vote in California. What we found is that the married vote -- married men, married women -- they are the real base of the Republican Party.

And it's a leading indicator for Republican success going into November. It's going to determine whether or not Republicans have a good night on election night.

CORNISH: Yes. In California or in general? Because when you once you start talking to marriage, you're also talking about upper class and more moneyed individuals.

SCHILLING: Yes, no, it's in general. So, we're seeing across the board, it doesn't matter what state you're in. The married vote, if the intensity amongst married voters and the energy level enthusiasm is high, Republicans are usually going to have a good night.

SEAWRIGHT: After this primary process is complete, where this jungle primary -- let me start here -- is about survive and advance.

CORNISH: Yes.

SEAWRIGHT: It's like political June madness in California.

But after that process is over, you're going to see base consolidation. And that's where you're going to see Democrats, independents align with a serious candidate who we -- who not only can win, but who can speak directly to the issues and get something done.

And that's why Steve Hilton does not even stand a chance of winning in November. However, I think competition is good for the marketplace, and I think you'll see the same thing --

CORNISH: Very charitable of you, Antjuan.

SEAWRIGHT: I think --

CORNISH: I appreciate you saying that.

SEAWRIGHT: I think you'll see the same thing in the mayor's race.

CORNISH: Yes.

SEAWRIGHT: Although it may be close, because Karen Bass last race was close with a billionaire.

CORNISH: Well, I'll be watching to see at what point does the race basically fundamentally become national or a referendum on Trump?

You guys stay with me. We are going to talk about many other states here.

We're also going to talk about the three candidates fighting for two spots to become the next governor of California, as we have been discussing who will be left out.

And then I want to mention this. Scott Pelley, the journalist, fired after a heated argument with the new boss. The latest headlines coming out of "60 Minutes."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:30]

CORNISH: It's now 22 minutes past the hour. This is your morning roundup.

President Trump's effort to create a nearly $1.8 billion anti- weaponization fund is now dead. The IRS settlement which helped create the fund is still in place.

On Tuesday, Acting General [SIC] -- Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before a House subcommittee. He told House members the provision, which would bar the IRS from bringing claims against the president, his family, or his businesses for past tax issues, is still in place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Any time the IRS settles with an individual taxpayer or another company as part of the settlement, it's standard. It's typical for -- to get rid of past ongoing audits.

It's not a forward-looking document. It's nothing that gives any sort of immunity in the future to the president or his family or his organizations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The Justice Department is dropping the idea of the anti- weaponization fund, but Blanche said prosecutors will still take part in lawsuits that challenge the fund in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

And the fight over New Jersey's Delaney Hall detention center facility now going to the state. Officials are suing to gain access for health inspections.

Protests over alleged inhumane conditions inside are still drawing crowds outside.

And CBS has fired Scott Pelley from his role on "60 Minutes." The firing of the veteran journalist comes just 24 hours after he accused the current CBS news chief, Bari Weiss, of, quote, "murdering the news program." This happened during a staff meeting.

[06:25:06]

Now, in a statement after his firing, Pelley doubled down on his criticism of CBS management, saying, quote, "The collapse of values at the top has become untenable. The leadership of '60 Minutes' is no longer recognizable. The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave, as well."

The fallout continues in Maine for Senate candidate Graham Platner. A member of his own party now questioning whether he can stay out of controversy and win a race that the party needs to potentially take back the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Would it be better for Democrats if he was not the candidate here?

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Oh, I'm saying it's like, you know, when I was growing up, if someone had a clear Nazi tattoo on them, you probably could consume or conclude that there's a Nazi sympathizer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now, his scandals didn't stop at the Nazi tattoo. Earlier this week, it was reported Platner allegedly sent sexual text messages to women who were not his wife.

Sabrina, this is the kind of story that, politically, it kind of goes on and on and on. On the scale of sort of Swalwell to -- to something else, at what point does this become damaging, truly damaging?

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, I think it's like the trickle effect that's concerning to some Democrats; is the feeling of, like, is there going to be another story? Is there --

CORNISH: Is that what oppo research -- like, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Is like, prepare?

RODRIGUEZ: It's -- it keeps coming. And I -- and I think this is part of -- I mean, I think some of the Democrats defending him argue, you know, he's a real person that has a real past that has acknowledged the past that he has.

I think it is becoming harder for some Democrats to talk about it. We saw him meeting yesterday with some Senate Democrats.

CORNISH: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: And we saw Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer come out.

CORNISH: And he's -- he's still on the ballot there, where very much the polling has shown that the voter has a different point of view.

RODRIGUEZ: And it's -- but he's -- yes. And but we have, like, folks like Schumer coming out and saying, like, I will -- we need to beat Collins in November. I spoke to Graham Platner today, period, end quote.

And like was asked repeatedly about it.

CORNISH: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: And just kind of, like, is not really trying to get into it. So, I think a lot of people have pause.

CORNISH: We'll see. The voters have the last say.

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely.

CORNISH: Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, we've got L.A. Mayor Karen Bass fighting for reelection. Will reality TV star Spencer Pratt steal her thunder in November?

Plus, he hasn't been seen in three months. So, how did Congressman Tom Keane Jr. win the GOP primary last night in New Jersey's 7th District?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]